Archive for December 22, 2010
Full Text Of Senator Arlen Specter’s Farewell Speech
Editor’s note: While we will withhold comment on Senator Arlen Specter’s “closing argument” to the Senate (at least for now), we will say that we find within it enough food for thought that we feel it appropriate to provide the full text, even though this is not, strictly speaking, a local news issue. This text is taken directly from Mr. Specter’s senate.gov web page. In part, we provide this because the search engines are already returning primarily news stories and blog posts, and links to the full text are becoming a little difficult to find.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, this is not a farewell address but, rather, a closing argument to a jury of my colleagues and the American people outlining my views on how the Senate and, with it, the Federal Government arrived at its current condition of partisan gridlock, and my suggestions on where we go from here on that pressing problem and the key issues of national and international importance.
To make a final floor statement is a challenge. The Washington Post noted the poor attendance at my colleagues’ farewell speeches earlier this month. That is really not surprising since there is hardly anyone ever on the Senate floor. The days of lively debate with many Members on the floor are long gone. Abuse of the Senate rules has pretty much stripped Senators of the right to offer amendments. The modern filibuster requires only a threat and no talking. So the Senate’s activity for more than a decade has been the virtual continuous drone of a quorum call. But that is not the way it was when Senator Chris Dodd and I were privileged to enter the world’s greatest deliberative body 30 years ago. Senators on both sides of the aisle engaged in collegial debate and found ways to find common ground on the Nation’s pressing problems.
Good Morning, Central New Mexico
by John Weckerle
With the snow from our recent winter storm nearly gone, this morning brought us another in a series of beautiful sunrises. For those who missed it, and for those who saw it and want to see it again, we provide another look here.
Sunrise over the Estancia Valley.